David Ford will be the featured soloist at Brainerd Presbyterian Church Sunday, Nov. 22, at the 10:45 a.m. service. He will sing My God Is a Rock which was one of the solo spirituals that he performed numerous times on tour with the Shaw Chorale. He will also sing Light at the End of the Darkness, by Larry Gatlin, and offertory solo Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, arranged by Buryl Red.
Review for Robert Shaw and David Ford:
In 1949 Mr. Shaw formed the Robert Shaw Chorale, which for two decades reigned as America's premier touring choral group and was sent by the U.S. State Department to 30 countries in Europe, the Soviet Union, the Middle East, and Latin America. The Shaw Chorale was arguably the finest vocal ensemble in history and many of their recordings are regarded as the Golden Standard.
The premiere bass soloist on many of the international tours with the Chorale was David Ford. In 1962 they made two international tours including the historic US State Department Cultural Exchange Tour. While rehearsing in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg again) they were told, “There is a problem between our government and Cuba.” The Cuban missile crisis brought us to the brink of nuclear World War III. In 1964 there were two more tours, one of which covered eight South American countries in 10 weeks.
Mr. Ford also appeared with Mr. Shaw during his days as associate conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra, and was soloist for the famed Britten War Requiem in performances with the Knoxville Symphony, and in the choral workshop held at Westminster Choir College and performances at the Princeton Chapel.
A unique accomplishment to David Ford is his accumulation of over 200 performances of Mendelssohn’s Elijah. He is regarded in many quarters as the quintessential Elijah.
Mr. Ford was a Southern Baptist minister of music in Kentucky, Texas and Oklahoma before assuming that position at First Baptist Church in Nashville where he served for five years. He had a lengthy career as a full-time Christian concert artist. In addition to earlier work in radio and television Mr. Ford has been very active for 30 years as a voice-over professional. His rich, booming bass voice is used regularly in religious recordings and is often referred to affectionately as the voice of God.
Linda Ford will serve as pianist and accompanist for this service. She recently retired from the Belmont University music faculty after 32 years of service. Mr. and Mrs. Ford have enjoyed 51 years of marriage. They have two children, five grandchildren and expecting their fifth great-grandchild.
Dr. Tom Hammett, music director at Brainerd Presbyterian Church has been a life-long fan of the Robert Shaw Chorale and sang with Maestro Shaw for many years in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Dr. Hammett said, “I appreciate David and his talent on a personal level, as a Christian brother, as an active professional soloist, and in his role in American Choral Music for nearly 60 years. This will be the Ford’s second visit to Brainerd Presbyterian Church and we anxiously await the musical blessing they will provide.”
Brainerd Presbyterian Church is located at 1624 Jenkins Road, just off of East Brainerd Road.